Articles Posted inFractures / Broken Bones

Fewer motorists are expected to hit the roads this Fourth of July weekend than last, but it’s all relative; with AAA estimating 39 million Americans on the road you are still at greater risk for a Chicago car accident through the long travel weekend.

The Chicago Tribune reports higher gas prices and the shaky economy are to blame for the 1 million fewer drivers expected to travel at least 50 miles from home.AAA Chicago estimates 1.9 million drivers will hit the road in Illinois — 3.3 percent fewer than last year. While gas in the Chicago area has fallen by 29 cents in recent weeks — to an average of $3.93 a gallon — that’s still 37 cents more than the national average and nearly $1 a gallon higher than last year.

While our Chicago personal injury lawyers wish each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend, we also would like to remind you of risks away from the road.

Chicago fireworks injuries: Last year, 135 people were seriously injured in Illinois fireworks accidents, according to the State Fire Marshal Even those fireworks people often think of as harmless were responsible for serious injuries, including sparklers (13) and bottle rockets (16). Seventy-eight people suffered serious burns, 10 suffered loss of eyesight and six suffered dismemberment.

More than half of those injured in Illinois fireworks accidents were under the age of 21. Injuries to the hands, fingers and eyes were most common.Illinois Boating Accidents: Independence Day is the height of the summer boating season in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reports a total of 102 boating accidents in 2009 — claiming 25 lives and injuring 70. Common causes are drinking and boating, lack of training and failure to wear life vests or follow other established safety procedures. If your weekend plans involve being out on the water, please stay safe and take responsibility for making sure those around you are safe as well.

Chicago swimming pool accidents: Family gatherings this time of year often occur at the home with the pool. As such, many are not familiar with pool safety. Children are at particularly high risk. An adult should always be assigned to watch children. Even those using small backyard portable pools. CNN recently reported that more than 244 submersion accidents involving small portable pools have been reported in the last decade. In 209 cases, the incident resulted in a fatality.Continue reading

Bridge collapse at fireworks show sends at least 16 to the hospital
At least 16 people were hospitalized after a wooden footbridge collapsed at the conclusion of a fireworks celebration at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville, about 45 minutes south of Chicago.

Media reports were unclear about whether it was a public park. But injured participants could have a premise liability claim against the park owner or the company that provided the fireworks display.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene, estimating that the roughly 90-foot-long bridge was full of people before it fell, according to the Associated Press as reported by Fox News.

While authorities have released few other details, it is possible that event organizers allowed far too many people onto the 90-foot wooden bridge, which collapsed about 10 p.m., just as the grand finale concluded, sending people plummeting into the water below.

A dive team was called in to pull people and items from the water and the investigation continued through the weekend. There were estimates that thousands had attended the annual fireworks display at the park in years past.

“They had to rescue quite a few people,” Ross Township firefighter Perry Herzog said in a newspaper account.

Herzog said 16 people were transported to local hospitals for treatment. He said others might have been taken to hospitals by family members.

He did not know the nature of their injuries, and said there were no fatalities in the accident. About 50 emergency vehicles responded to the scene, along with helicopter and dive teams.

Robert Walker, of Merrillville, blamed the collapse on the number of people crossing the bridge.

“It was a mass of confusion,” he said. “People were walking across the bridge when it collapsed. People were grasping and hanging onto the bridge itself.”Continue reading

Pedestrian vs. car accidents in Chicago are a big issue as warm weather arrives. Due to a large increase in Chicago pedestrian fatalities in 2008, the Police Department is stepping up their efforts to protect people on foot from cars. They are running a sting operation to catch people who fail to yield to pedestrians, where undercover officers pose as civilians in crosswalks. Further, the Illinois legislature is considering a new law that would require drivers to stop for pedestrians rightfully crossing the street (not just yield).

On Sunday, Chicago accident attorneys from Abels & Annes appeared on CBS News in Chicago to discuss a pedestrian injury case that they are currently working on. The client was hit and severely injured while crossing in a crosswalk at Irving Park and Austin on the Northwest Side. The 38 year old driver of a 2006 Audi A4 failed to notice her crossing.

The Chicago resident was transported by ambulance to Lutheran General Hospital with severe head trauma. Emergency surgery was performed and the client remained in a coma for over two weeks.

Chicago accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have settled a trip and fall claim against a Jewel Food Store in Highland Park, Illinois for a fall down injury that occurred on June 22, 2008. Our client had just parked her car and was about to walk into the store when her foot got caught in a broken and/or significantly uneven portion of the sidewalk that lead into the grocery store, causing her to fall forward onto her left hand and sustain injuries.

Our client did not see the uneven sidewalk because it was obscured in the shadow of a pillar holding up the overhang in front of the store. She was also looking forward towards the entrance doors of the store, and was distracted by the heavy congestion of scattered shopping carts in the area and other patrons entering and exiting the store. After her fall, a store manager came outside to talk to her. The manager admitted that this was not the first time someone had tripped on this area of the uneven sidewalk.

Our client went to a local hospital for left hand, wrist, and shoulder pain. After history and examination diagnostics tests were ordered, x-rays were conducted, which indicated a displaced fracture at the base of the proximal phalanx of the small finger on her left hand (fracture at the base of her left pinky finger). She was placed in a splint, her arm was placed in a sling, and she was prescribed pain medications and instructed to seek follow up care.

On the evening of the occurrence our client was standing in his front yard when the defendant was driving westbound on 71st Street approaching its intersection with Lafayette. The intersection of 71st Street and Lafayette was controlled by a traffic light. There was a red light for westbound traffic. The defendant ran his red light and crashed into a southbound vehicle. The force of the impact knocked the other vehicle into a fence and yard on Lafayette and into the plaintiff, who fell to the ground.

Our client was seen at St. Bernard Hospital’s emergency room right after the accident complaining of shoulder, back, hip and knee pain. He was diagnosed with a fracture to his left clavicle, acute low back sprain and left knee contusion. Pain medications and physical therapy were prescribed. Despite this treatment he continued to suffer from pain and discomfort in his left shoulder, left hip, low back and left knee. However, our client sought no follow up treatment.

The car vs. pedestrian accident happened when the defendant was driving northbound on Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago, Illinois as our client was planning to cross King Dr. from the east side to the west side. There was a parking lane for northbound traffic, on the east side of the street. The plaintiff was standing in front of, and to the north of, cars parked in this parking lane. As he was standing in the parking lane waiting for traffic to clear the defendant swerved into the parking lane and struck our client.

The defendant was issued several traffic citations by the Chicago Police Department and plead guilty to failing to exercise due care and driving on a suspended or revoked license.

The plaintiff was transported by ambulance from the scene of the crash to Advocate Christ Hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital emergency room his most significant complaints were of right leg pain as well as injuries to his head, right wrist and right hand. He was diagnosed with displaced right tibia and fibula fractures. The fibula fracture was comminuted, segmental, with multiple components.Continue reading

In Chicago, Illinois a bicycle rider has been injured as a result of a collision with a car in Logan Square. The accident happened when the bicyclist was southbound on California Avenue crossing Logan Blvd. on a green light. At that time the defendant, who was eastbound on Logan, ran the red light, hit the bicyclist, and then struck another southbound car. The driver was ticketed for failing to obey the red light.

The bike rider, who is a Chicago resident, was taken by ambulance to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center. At the hospital she was diagnosed with a spinal fracture. The bicyclist is having further treatment with an orthopaedic surgeon in Chicago.

The injured bike rider has retained Abels & Annes, P.C. to pursue an injury claim against the at fault driver.

In Chicago, Illinois a teenager has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he struck a 73 year old pedestrian on the Northwest Side of Chicago this past Wednesday night, according to the Chicago Tribune. The pedestrian was crossing the street in the 6700 block of West Addison Street when he was hit by the teen who was driving a minivan. The driver fled the scene of the accident and was later pulled over after being involved in a second accident in the 3400 block of West Belmont.

The victim was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. He sustained fractured legs and ribs, and internal bleeding.

The teen driver was also ticketed with driving without insurance, driving without a driver’s license, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and leaving the scene of an accident.

In Chicago, Illinois auto accident attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have reached an insurance policy limits settlement for a Berwyn resident stemming from a February 17, 2008 collision. Our client was northbound on Interstate 94 on the South Side of Chicago at the Stoney Island exit. A car in front of the plaintiff missed the exit at Stoney and instead of going to the next exit, the defendant tried to stop and back up on the highway. Our client could not react in time and slammed into the defendant.

She was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, Illinois with a badly broken leg. She had to have surgery the next day to repair the fracture. The car accident case settled without having to file a lawsuit. The defendant’s insurance company initially denied the claim, arguing that our client failed to stop in time and should have avoided the accident. The insurance company changed it’s position after our law firm got involved in the case.Continue reading

In Joliet, Illinois work injury attorneys from Abels & Annes, P.C. have reached a settlement for a client who was injured on the job in December, 2006. She slipped and fell on a bathroom floor and fractured her right tibia. The client recovered well and did not undergo surgery. The bodily injury portion of our client’s work injury case settled for just over $14,000. Our client also received disability pay of $8,000 and her medical bills have been paid for by the employer’s insurance carrier. GAB Robins North America, Inc. paid on the claim for the employer.

We serve the following localities: Cook County, Berwyn, Chicago, Cicero, Evanston, Tinley Park, DuPage County, Aurora, Naperville, Wheaton, Kane County, Elgin, Geneva, Lake County, Waukegan, Will County, Joliet, Winnebago County, and Rockford.